


Stay Away From the Shed

by redlemonade



Category: South Park
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Explicit Language, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-26 20:32:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13865496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redlemonade/pseuds/redlemonade
Summary: August 15th was always a terrible day for Craig Tucker since 2013.





	Stay Away From the Shed

Craig was never the type to mourn over the deceased. He was always the 'sardonic intimidating' guy who was capable of leaving shivers down your spine just by looking in his sad eyes.

 

It was August 15th, 2016. The only day Craig has the guts to go outside of his small town and to the weary graveyard hidden. He has a half-empty pack of cigarettes in his back pocket and a bouquet of dried and ripped apart sunflowers gripped in his right hand.

 

He stops at the grave with empty beer cans and cigars that have been smashed against it. Smoke still soars up into the air, meaning the cigarettes were laid here recently. Craig suspects it being the deceased kid's parents or the goths.

 

Craig brushes the trash from the front of the gravestone and wipes the concrete with his gloved hand. His fingers get caught in the words chiseled into the stone. When the stone is finally clean, he stares at it and doesn't utter a word.

 

Here Lies: Kenny McCormick. March 22nd 1995-August 15th 2013. Age: 18.

 

The dark-haired male quietly lays the flowers on his deceased companion's grave. His friend. His best friend. His crush for God know's how long. Now that remained nine feet underground in a coffin, probably bones by now.

 

Craig's fists tighten and his heart has a terrible ache to it. The blonde never deserved to die, he really did not. He burned every last memory of Kenny. His pictures, his clothes. He threw away all the colognes and things that reminded Craig of him.

 

The low howl of a wolf is loud and irritatingly-obnoxious in the background of the dark misty night. Craig doesn't move. Instead, he kicks the large gravestone, hard. It budges a small bit, and Craig kicks it again.

 

The gravestone remains tilted sideways now. Craig growls, "God damn it McCormick, you shouldn't have died on me so soon." He smashes his foot on the dead-sunflowers and turns away from the grave without another word.

 

He has always been told to have issues. Those include anger issues, being too hot-headed, and is usually called an asshole. He doesn't care though. Why should he? Craig walks back to his mostly-broken down apartment about three miles away. He has a truck, but he doesn't like driving, he prefers walking.

 

When he opens the door he's immediately greeted by the stench of socks and body odor. Clyde is there, sprawled on the couch, a slice of pizza shoved in his mouth. "Hey man." Craig doesn't say anything back to the brunette and instead sits in the old comforter chair next to the couch.

 

"How was Kenny?" Clyde asks with a sort of soft-tone. He knows that Craig gets touchy when Kenny is mentioned, this is the only time he may ever get the chance to say that forbidden K-name without getting slaughtered. "Fine." Was the reply Clyde got back.

 

Clyde was the only person from his life in South park who stayed along with him. After the pain-filled death of Kenny, Craig and his old friends started to fall apart. His other best friend Token left with his parents for business, but they still keep in touch. Tweek left without a single word, saying he was tired of South Park and the sadness it contained after the incident. It's been a while since he's been seen.

 

Stan married Wendy in the town and then went off with her to a new home far away. Cartman started to run his own snack-making business with Butters, and they have become a popular duo. Kyle still stayed in depressing-old South Park. After the death he had shut out everyone and stayed in his house for who knows how long. Craig hasn't seem him in months.

 

Though Craig was only close to Token, Tweek, and Clyde at that time, he really felt different without seeing destruction on South Park. The wild adventures Stan, Cartman, Kyle, and Kenny would pull him and the others into. The good and bad memories of this shitty old town. It made Craig feel a bit pitiful.

 

Craig stood up from the comforter and walked down the narrow hallway into his bedroom. He slammed the door behind him, turned and sat on the maroon-colored bed, and slammed his face into his hands. God he was miserable. Everyone who still lived here saw him as regular, emotionless Craig, but he changed, and Clyde was the only one that noticed.

 

His eyes became darker and the bags under them became bigger. He doesn't eat very much and has terrible hygiene these days. Clyde knocks on his door after a few minutes but Craig doesn't answer. The brunette gets the message, knowing he really wants to be alone, and stops bothering him.

 

Craig lays back onto the bed and shuts his eyes. He hates closing his eyes, because when he does he sees him. Kenny, smiling, happy, cheerful, alive. The thought makes Craig sick to his stomach and before he knows it he's running to the bathroom across the hallway and puking his insides out. Clyde doesn't check on him, he gave up on that a long time ago.

 

As the loud puking and groans from the bathroom decreased in size, Clyde walks in. "Hey dude, I was outside and I saw Kyle walking towards the graveyard." Craig doesn't need to hear anymore. He wipes the remaining gruel from his face and basically runs out the front door, leaving a confused and upset Clyde, knowing he will have to clean up any puke on the bathroom floor.

 

There's small drizzles of rain falling onto his face as he exits but that doesn't stop him. Craig doesn't see the ginger male, but still keeps his move on to go back to the graveyard. The past three years nobody ever went to see Kenny besides Craig and the cruel people who littered on the blonde's grave, he needed to know why Kyle was coming there.

 

His jeans are soaked by the time he gets there, a decent amount of his shirt being the only thing dry due to the old blue hat he's worn since about 4th grade. Craig runs through the grave-obstacles until he spots the curly red hair of a certain Jew. Before he can say anything, he hears Kyle's soft voice in the mist of the rain and see him knelt down, his hands clasped together.

 

"Dear God. Dear Kenny. It's been three years since your sad death that tore apart our entire quiet mountain town. You destroyed us all through the time span of a month, week, maybe even just a day. I know you won't be able to answer me or anything but: Can you tell me how and why you died that day? It's been bothering me and everyone else since day one and I'm still anxious about it. Please. I hope both you and God can hear my prayer right now. Please, what is the cause of death. I will wait here in South Park until I find the truth. Sleep well in heaven, Kenny."

 

"Kyle." He Craig chokes out with slight straining in his voice. He was surprised by that entire scene. It was because of the mystery death of Kenny McCormick. The death that only he knew about. Kyle had turned to look at Craig and it made his heart jump.

 

He still looks like the old Kyle from all those times ago. Orange jacket and olive-green jeans and black converse. He ditched the green hat as he could tell. His hair was soaking wet and it stuck to his forehead. "Why are you here." Craig doesn't ask it as a question, he demands it. He wants to know why suddenly he cares enough to come see Kenny.

 

Kyle stands up and stares Craig fiercely in the eyes. "How did Kenny die." His voice could leave shivers down spines by how smooth and hurt it was. Craig doesn't say anything back and just stares into the other's big green eyes. Kyle repeats his sentence again. The black-haired male again does not reply.

 

Before he could blink, Craig's shoved onto the muddy ground. The mud splatters on his clothes and he looks like he hasn't bathed in weeks, which isn't fully wrong. "What the hell was that for!?" Craig sneers coldly. Kyle looks down at him with angered eyes. "You better fucking tell me what happened to Kenny on August 15th 2013. We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

 

Craig regrets coming out here. "Try me. I'm not telling no one what happened and it will stay that way." He looks up at Kyle and his expression softens when he looks at his face now. It was covered in not just rain water, but salty tears and his whole face was pale. "You're still a cry baby. Christ." Craig gets up and takes one of his gloves off, then puts his hand up to Kyle' forehead. "You're going to get sick idiot."

 

He removes his blue hat and jacket and puts them both of Kyle who's shocked at Craig's gesture. "Come on, we can go to the gazebo near the park, it's about a mile away." Kyle doesn't say anything but follows the other male anyways.

 

They arrive at an old gazebo. It's paint is nearly all ripped off and it smells like wet dog. Kyle is shivering madly and Craig somewhat pities him. "God damn it." He mumbles under his breath, and wraps his arms around the redhead. After a few minutes, he stops shivering and they sit there, Craig's arms still wrapped around him, the rain falling against the top of the gazebo making a hard-dripping noise.

 

"Thank you.." Kyle chokes out before sneezing, and Craig says a hushed 'bless you'. "Whatever, you should know when to dress warm Broflovski." He huffs, but doesn't let go of Kyle.

 

"Please." Kyle whispers loud enough so the other can hear him. "Tell me that happened to Kenny. I won't tell anyone and then I'll leave South Park and I'll never come back, ok?" Craig feels a small amount of pain in his words, but sighs in defeat and nods his head. "Fine, I'll tell you, but if this fucking gets out then you are dead."

 

Kyle managed a nervous-yet-genuine chuckle and Craig raised his eyebrow with confusion. "Just tell me what happened."

 

"It was August 15th, me and Kenny were doing the usual shit. Drinking, smoking, and all that other fun stuff at his house. He told me to follow him somewhere and we ended up at some old shack in one of the alleyways.

 

...  
August 15th 2013

 

"Kenny, what are we doing here?" Craig asks with slight concern in his mild voice. Kenny doesn't answer, he only keeps humming to a Beyonce song as he locks the door behind them. The building was old, probably been in South Park for a long time, before they were even born.

 

Craig feels tense and his heart is beating fast. Why would Kenny want him to come here with him? It becomes dark after Kenny covers up all the windows. Craig uses his cellphone flashlight to see what was happening. When he pointed the flashlight up, Kenny was staring down at him and it almost gave the dark-haired boy a heart attack.

 

Kenny looked slightly serious, rather than his goofy self. His hood was pulled down, revealing his messy dirty blonde hair and baby blue eyes. "Craig. I need you to do something for me." Craig could already tell it had to be serious.if he calls him by his first name and not 'Tuck' or their combined name, 'Crenny'.

 

The air was tense and it was so suffocating that Craig could barely breathe. "Sure Kenny, what is it?" Kenny takes his phone and turns the flashlight off, then puts it down on the wood flooring. Craig was about to say something but he feels a figure's head put it into the crook of his neck.

 

"You've always smelled really good, ya' know." He compliments plainly before doing a large inhale and exhale. "Sad I never got the chance to be more than just 'friends' or 'best friends' or whatever the hell we are now." Craig was confused and he was beaming with concern as to why he was now saying these things.

 

"What are you talking about.." Craig's voice is flat but you could tell the concern layered into it. A metal-like object slides on the wood floor and in front of Craig. He moves his hands around on the ground until he wraps a hand around a cold object. He uses the other hand to feel what it was and his heart stopped when he realized.

 

It was a gun.

 

Craig's heart was beating so fast that was all he could hear until Kenny spoke again. "Kill me." He smiles dully with not even any regret nor sadness in his blue eyes. Craig could barely believe what he was hear. "No! Why the fuck would I kill my best friend?" He shouts. Kenny says nothing.

 

The air is even more tense than before. "I don't have a purpose on Earth anymore." He quietly mumbles and Craig slams his fist down along with the gun. "Yes you fucking do McCormick. Do all your friends mean nothing to you? Do I mean nothing to you?" It becomes dead quiet and both males are breathing heavily.

 

"Karen." Craig holds his breath. "My little sister Karen died last year due to a school shooting. She is one of the only people that kept me alive for 18 years and now she's gone. I feel like a walking corpse. I do care about you and the others, a whole fucking lot, but family comes first. I love Karen with all my heart and I want to see her one more time before being dragged into Hell." Kenny smiles, this time with more sadness.

 

Craig doesn't know what to say except the words he's been wanting to say for years. "Well guess what Kenny fucking McCormick, I love you. I've loved you for so god damn long that every time I'm around you I want to show real feelings to you, feelings that are more than just a regular friend or best friend. Now you go out and tell me to shoot you? What the hell are you thinking?"

 

Kenny's smile grows larger. "I love you too Craig, a lot, but you deserve someone better. Someone who hasn't tried to kill themselves so much in the past, someone who is determined to become a better person, someone who is worthy to love someone as amazing as you." Kenny sees something that no one has seen, Craig's face covered with sweet-salty tears and his face breaks with guilt.

 

"I have one wish for you before I leave. Please, find someone better than a shitty person like me. Someone who can love you every day of the week, someone who you can laugh with and cry to and vent your anger to. Don't cry over me for the rest of your life because that will hurt me more than it hurts you, oh and Craig,"

 

Kenny leans in and his lips are placed on Craig's. His lips taste like salty water due to his sobbing, but Kenny doesn't care. He pulls away and tears start to form in his baby blue eyes as well. "You're so beautiful and smart and funny and one of the best people I've ever met. I've had an amazing nine years with you."

 

Craig says something but it's hard to make out. "Now," Kenny picks up the gun and puts it in Craig's hands. "Shoot me." It becomes dead quiet. The crying of the two boys is the only noise that could be picked up.

 

The small gun is lifted up by Craig, his entire body shaking. "I-I-I'm so sorry Kenny. I'm so fucking sorry." Kenny shows one last giant smile even though it hurts for him to.

 

Then a loud bang blasts in Craig's ears, and Kenny's body falls over on the ground.

 

...

 

Craig's face is wet again and Kyle is wide in shock as tears stream down his face as well. "After that, I ran away when I heard people coming. I had to coat the gun in his own blood so I wouldn't get caught. They assumed it was a suicide, and it was blown off entirely except for the few people that didn't believe it, including you."

 

Kyle can barely speak after hearing the story. It was an ugly, truthful story he almost wishes he didn't know about now.

 

The rain cleared up and the sun was going up. They had been out here all night, holding each other under the gazebo. "W-We should head to our homes.." Kyle says in a shaky voice. Craig nods, "Now you can leave this shithole and live your dreams. Congrats."

 

Before Kyle could say anything, Craig was gone, leaving Kyle to sit at the gazebo and process what had happened during this night.

 

...  
August 16th 2016

 

When Craig arrived home Clyde was lying on the couch crying. When he saw the black-haired male walk in he jumped in the air and hugged him to death. "Dude where were you!? I was worried sick!" He shouts with concern. Craig shrugs and sits down on the couch, Clyde plops down beside him with tears in his eyes still.

 

He closed his eyes and thought about everything that happened with him and Kyle. Craig felt ashamed, to be honest. Kyle probably saw him as a cold-blooded killer who kills his friends when they ask him to. He wouldn't blame the redhead if he did. Clyde began rambling about how scared he was and Craig just lays his head on the arm of the couch and closes his eyes.

 

...

 

"Craig, wake up!" A voice is ringing in his ears so he uses one of the couch's pillows to cover his head. The voice becomes muffled and Craig smiles to himself. Well, until the pillow is torn off his head. Craig growls angrily and is about to cuss out the person who is trying to wake him up, until he realizes who it is.

 

"Kyle, what are you doing here..?" Craig nervously mumbles before looking down. Kyle grabs his arm. "To get you, obviously. We're leaving." It took a few seconds for him to process what just came out of the Jew's mouth.

 

A flash of concern crosses Craig's face. "Leave, why? I thought you were just leaving." He says and looks back up at him. Kyle smiles lightly. "If I'm leaving this shitty town, you're coming with me." Craig pulls his arm out of the other's grasp.

 

"What about Clyde?" He asks.

 

"Bebe picked him up about an hour ago, they're going to the same place we're heading." Craig never even realized Bebe still lived in this town, which surprised him.

 

Craig had to think about it in his head for a minute but he decision was already made. "Alright dude, let's get the fuck out of here."

 

And with that, he grabbed Kyle's hand and they walked outside and entered Kyle's white car. "When'd you get this?" Craig asks the other. "Bought it last week, never really drived anywhere in it though. I prefer to walk."

 

That caused Craig to smile, "Me too."

 

It wasn't raining anymore, instead it was cool and sunny, like how their childhood used to be.

 

"I'm gonna miss this hellhole." Craig mumbles and sighs.

 

"Really?"

 

"Of course fucking not, I've wanted to leave since, like, 4th grade."

 

They both laugh, and not a fake laugh. They were genuine, happy laughs.

 

Kyle removes the car's roof cover and Craig can look up and see the sky. He almost thinks he can see Kenny smiling down at him, saying "Good job Craig. You fulfilled my wish. Thank you."

 

Craig's smiles get even bigger, a big change that he'll need to get used to. "Thank you, Kenny." Kyle looks over at him with surprise, "Did you say something?"

 

"No nothing, nevermind."

 

Kyle drives out of the town and past the 'Welcome To South Park' sign that's almost completely destroyed. Craig's middle finger is sticking out the window, a big 'fuck you' to the town called South Park.

 

Both boys smile and laugh as they leave, the sign and town out of their sights, with Kenny's gaze over atop of them in the sky.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked this!! I'm sorry it's not the best fanfiction in the world but I've had this idea for a while and I always wanted to make a South Park fanfic❤❤❤


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